Office Love
by Nothing and Anything
Summary: Bella and Edward were in love, but Bella found Edward cheating on her. Her new job leads them to cross paths again. Will their love be found again? What really happened?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.**

**Okay guys, just a heads up, I'm editing my work and reposting some chapters… Just fixing a few grammatical errors.**

Kill me now.

I've always been a sucker for romance, true love, happy endings… all that sap. Ever since I was ten, I've read classic romance novels like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. At fifteen, I got into Shakespeare, and started getting addicted to the script of Romeo and Juliet. At a young age like that, I never understood how someone could kill themselves just because their partner died. I mean, I believed in looking at the optimistic side of things, and never got why you had to kill yourself. There were always the good things in life left over, even if your loved one died. Family, for example, or maybe another gal or guy could catch your eye and you would move on. Life wasn't worth ending for such a trivial thing, right?

Wrong.

Sometimes I wished love never existed, because without love, there wouldn't be pain, and my life would be just as I wanted it to be. But despite my wishes, it was still there, as strong as ever, and I couldn't even try to deny it. Carlisle's love for Esme still remained after years of marriage, Esme's maternal love for her children, Alice and Jasper's young but strong love, and finally, my undeniable yet regretful love for… him. Edward Cullen. The love of my pathetic life, and the person who left me for another.

I should have seen it coming. I never should have fallen for him. He was the womanizer, the glorious god that held the charms to turn any woman into jello just by looking at them. I was Bella Swan, the quiet, plain, and reserved type of person who couldn't go the day without several acts of clumsiness. Now, I could clearly see the unlikelihood of the match, but back then, I didn't care. I was in my personal heaven, with a handsome god of a man marked as mine. I had my doubts, and my self-consciousness came in at times, but he would look me in the eye with those beautiful melted golden eyes of his and say that he would never so much as _look_ at another woman, and that he loved me with his very being. I believed him, because my love for him made me blind, and I didn't realize what was happening until it hit me like a stampeding bull.

It all started one day in spring. It was truly lovely, with everything washed anew with the rain of the previous night. The sun was out, and birds were chirping. I was in another world, replaying my activities with Edward the previous night. I was pretty sure my face was flush red, but I couldn't care less. I was going to Edward's office to give him a surprise; he'd forgotten his jacket at home, so I was "bringing him his jacket". Stepping into the big glass building, I headed for the elevator. It took me to the fifth floor, and I stepped into his office, prepared for an afternoon of fun in the office.

The first thing I saw was Edward's beautiful face, his bronze hair, his golden eyes. Then, I saw the scenario.

Edward was sitting on the desk.

Tanya, his accountant on top of him.

She was undoing the buttons of his shirt.

I wasn't stupid; I could put two and two together. An involuntary gasp escaped my lips, causing both their heads to turn. Immediately, I turned to the elevator doors to escape. My last memory of his face was that of a guilty expression, my last memory of his voice was that of his pleading.

He called me after that, countless times. I'd even heard him banging on the door of my apartment at night. I chose to ignore him; I wouldn't be glued together and shattered again. I made a mistake once, and I wasn't going to repeat it. After awhile, everything stopped; he no longer came chasing after me, and I no longer had to hide at work from him. His guilt had finally subsided, and he'd chosen to move on. That was it; I was only a plaything, something to throw away after it was used.

The only reason I kept up my façade of a life was my belief of happiness. That, and the fact that two months later, I met my current best friend, Alice Whitlock, married happily to her husband of four years, Jasper Whitlock. She was a ball of energy, and dragged me out of my catatonic state. I met her family; Carlisle and his wife, Esme, as well as her adopted brother Emmett. She had another adopted brother; but they chose not to talk about him. From the little information I'd gathered, he was away in France for business. They were probably saddened greatly that he was not with them.

The blatant blaring of the alarm clock awoke me from my painful contemplations. The present hit me again, and I was filled with a sense of relief. My pain was dulled, and my energy amplified. I groaned and rolled over, ready for the new day ahead.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue"**

**Much love to all of you that read, reviewed, or subscribed! I take time to read and enjoy every one of your reviews, and they're what have kept me going after countless times of dramatic 'ends' to my writing career…**

After the dilemma with Edward, I found a way to vent my frustration and hurt; I became an author. I specify in the romance area, though few people know this, as I go by the pen name Elizabeth Masen; I'd rather not have my life bombarded with fans and paparazzis. I also like to get first hand experience regarding the content of my writing. For my previous bestseller, Jungle Love, I went to the African jungles to experience what it was like. I managed to stay for two months before they kicked me out. Apparently, I was on the verge of giving my supervisor a heart attack everyday for the injuries my clumsy self got into.

The instant success of my book encouraged me to start another, Office Love. The plot is roughly outlined in my head, though I need the experience. This brings me to the present. I'm walking into the magnificent building of the company Cullen Corps (the coincidental name was what brought out my painful recount of memories) for an "interview". After sending several companies my resume as well as an explanation of my special request, this was the company that was willing to give me the position of secretary. So I had to make a presentation with a further explanation on the details of my unique request.

I walked towards the secretary. "Hi, I'm Elizabeth Masen, and I have an appointment." The secretary looked up, and smiled.

"Right this way, Miss Masen." I could see why they needed a replacement for her: Her stomach was particularly bloated, though the rest of her was reasonably skinny. It was obvious that this very pregnant woman wouldn't be working much longer. I looked up and saw that she was leading me to a door that said "Meeting Room". Opening the door, she gave me one last reassuring smile before walking away.

I walked into the room, took a deep breath, and closed the door. I looked at the scene before me, and I let out a huge gasp. Whatever I was expecting, I wasn't expecting this. Before me sat several _very_ familiar faces. It was obvious that they were just as shocked as I, for no one spoke for several, prolonged minutes. Suddenly I was pulled into a crushing hug,

"Bella! How are you!" he boomed.

"Hi, Emmett, put me down, please!" I gasped.

"Aw, I love you too, Bells." He laughed.

Carlisle cleared his throat, and we all turned to stare at him, "Well this changes things," he smiled at me, "you're hired."

"Carlisle, you're like a father to me, but I don't want you to hire me just because we know each other personally." I reasoned.

"Don't worry about it, Bella, we were going to hire you anyway. We'd already decided that we wanted a change in our employees. We just wanted to see if this Ms. Masen was agreeable or not."

I beamed at him, "Thank you so much for this opportunity, Carlisle, I really appreciate it."

"Hey Bella, wasn't Elizabeth Masen the author of the book Jungle Love?" Jasper's calm voice was heard.

"Yeah, it was."

"On your resume you said that you liked to get first-hand experience for your books. Did you really go to the jungle? It's really a wonder that you're still here alive if you did." I could see now that he was teasing. I flushed a deep red and poked him on the side as he chuckled at my blush. I was about to retort when another figure stepped in the room.

"Sorry I'm late, the traffic was-" his statement cut off as he noticed me.

There he stood, in all his glory, looking just as surprised as I was. His strong jaws were stiff, and his eyebrows were raised. His topaz eyes were currently holding many emotions; most of them indecipherable. That was it, my limit, I couldn't hold in all the confusion and surprise anymore. I had to grab onto the nearest thing, which happened to be Emmett, to keep from collapsing. His name escaped my lips before I could stop it,

"Edward." All my pain, frustration, love, devotion, hurt, everything was put into the whisper. Then, all consciousness slipped away as my mind gave me an escape from the pain that was to come.


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue".**

**Sorry, I know my chapters are short, but bear with me please, I try my best. I also realize that during an interview, only one or two people are present, not four. But yet again, for the sake of the story, please overlook these slightly unrealistic details?**

My first recognition of consciousness was a voice; it was familiar, though it brought a feeling of intense pain. It immediately pulled me awake, and I groaned as reality hit me. I feigned unconsciousness for a few more moments, arranging a calm composure for myself. Then, I opened my eyes, and saw what I was dreading. The most beautiful set of eyes staring back into mine, I could see the worry in them.

"Bella? Bella, are you all right?" I was very aware of Edward's arms, wrapped around me. I set my face into a cold expression, and wrenched myself out of his hold.

"I'm fine, thank you," I could see his expression turn into hurt, good.

Emmett's confused voice came from beside me, "What just happened?"

"I was caught by surprise, that's all."

This confused Emmett even further, "You know Edward?"

"We're old acquaintances." Was my curt answer. Through all this, Carlisle and Jasper stayed silent. Carlisle was checking for signs of illness, while Jasper looked from me to Edward with a furrowed brow. Suddenly, he gasped, and a glint of understanding passed through his eyes. I glared at Jasper, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut. Just then, my cell phone rang, and I knew it was Alice, calling to see how my interview went.

I flipped open the phone, and walked to a corner of the room. I could hear the murmuring of the others as they questioned Edward.

"Hey, Alice."

"Bella! How did it go? Did you get the position? Did anyone ask you for an autograph?"

"Actually, things took an interesting turn. Did you know that I applied as secretary to Cullen Corps.?"

From the other line, I heard Alice's squeal of acknowledgement, "I can't believe it! Carlisle accepted you, didn't he?"

I laughed, "Yes, he did. And I'll have to kill you later for the heart attack I almost got from the surprise. Anyhow, I met your brother today, you never told me your his name was Edward." Sometimes, unless someone tells you, you couldn't put the pieces of a puzzle together. I'd known his name was Edward Cullen, but I guess I never knew Alice's maiden name, since I always referred to her family by their first names.

I tried to keep my voice even, but Alice heard my accusation over the phone, "I guess it never occurred to me, why, did you meet him? He came back home a couple weeks ago, did something bad happen?"

"Not now, I'll drop by later. I'm going soon anyways."

She could hear the urgency of my voice, "Okay, Bella. Bye!"

"Bye."

I walked back to the meeting table, and sat down in between Emmett and Carlisle.

"Edward has told us about your relationship. I understand that you worked for him before he moved to France, correct?" Carlisle asked.

I nodded; I might as well go along with whatever Edward made up, it was probably better than the truth.

"It must have been quite a shock seeing him again."

I nodded yet again, and made an attempt to smile, though it was more of an expression of chagrin. Carlisle smiled, "Well, now that that's all cleared up, why not start your training today? Kate only has two weeks left, and then she goes home. Better take advantage of the limited time we have."

I shook my head this time. I was already brittle enough; soon, I would completely break down. I'd rather I break down with Alice there to sooth me, than here with _him_ seeing my weakness.

"I'm sorry, can I please start next week? I wasn't prepared today, and I have to report back to Alice as well."

"Oh, of course! Sorry Bella, I momentarily forgot that you'd fainted. You'll need the rest. But do you think you'll be able to make it bright and early on Monday at 6?"

I couldn't muster the strength to feel agitation at getting up so early. I thanked Carlisle, hugged Emmett, and shook hands with Jasper. With a final nod in _his_ direction, I walked out the door. I gave Kate a thankful 'smile', and left the building.

The drive home was excruciating. I wanted to start crying right then and there, but I didn't want a car accident. I thought about anything and everything, Charlie, Renee, Grandma Swan, my kitchen, my rusty old car, Edward and I in the backseat of my rusty old car…

_Not now Bella, not now. Only a few more minutes more to go._

When I finally arrived at Alice's home, I found the door was already opened. I walked in, and without any warning, dropped to the ground and started sobbing my heart out. Alice's soothing arms wrapped around me as she let me cry for a reason not yet known to her. When my bawls finally subsided to sniffles, she dragged me to the couch.

"What happened?" she asked, and I prepared myself for the interrogation to come.


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue".**

"What's Edward's history?" I asked Alice, attempting to glean some information before beginning my explanation.

Alice, knowing this was important, answered truthfully, "Well, he was adopted, just as we all were." I nodded, I knew that part. "Growing up, he was greatly influenced by Carlisle's work. He was very intelligent, and often helped with the company, even at a young age. After graduating from university, he became president of a small strand of the company, just to get used to managing all those people. His company name was Brandon Corps." I gestured for her to continue, I knew all this. "He was doing great; Carlisle thought he was ready to join the big company. Just as he was about to transfer, something happened." She grimaced, and I knew this "something" must have been pretty horrible. "I'm not really sure what happened, he won't talk about it, but I'll tell you what I do know. He started dating this girl. She wasn't one of those sluts he usually used and tossed aside. She was something special to him. None of us ever met her because Edward wasn't sure enough of the stage of their relationship to let us see her. Anyways, things were going really great, and Edward seemed happier than ever. Then, something happened between them that made her dump him. I'm not sure what, but if he was rude or upset you today, it's because he's been cold since that bitch left him." She said all this a little menacingly, and I winced slightly before taking a deep breath,

"Alice, I'm the girl."

I explained everything to her in detail, reduced to tears the middle somewhere. Alice was very comforting and supportive throughout.

"Wow, I never knew it was like that. I just assumed…" Alice trailed off when I finished my explanation.

"Yeah, I know. I just didn't want you to think that I left him just to be bitchy or whatever." I said

"I can't believe Edward would do that! I mean he seemed to care for you and everything!" She huffed, "And Tanya! Why on earth would she do that?"

"Well, Edward probably couldn't resist himself, what with his playboy nature. She was pretty gorgeous. Tanya on the other hand, well I can't exactly blame her for trying."

"Still though, I think Edward cared for you a great deal. He kind of just died after, you know what I mean? He left for France without a word, and he stayed there for forever. He scarcely contacted us, and when we visited him, he just looked like an empty shell. He only recovered recently, which is why he came back. Even now, he's not what he used to be." Alice looked down, and she had the most heart breaking expression on her face. "Just as he's slightly recovered, there you are again. He must be heartbroken!"

"Oh Alice, maybe he did care for me a little bit, but you have to understand my point of view. I can't go back to him now, even if he still wanted me. He broke my heart once, and I can't be hurt again. And I don't think that I'm the entire reason he left either, he didn't love me that much." I felt pain, but I couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt. From what Alice said, I could tell that he left partially because of me. I had caused the whole Cullen family to suffer, and that wasn't fair.

Alice and I stayed on the couch for an hour longer before Alice called Jasper to tell him that she'd be staying the night at my place. We then drove to my place, and Alice prepared me mentally and physically for my new job.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue".**

**I recently got my first set of glasses, so to celebrate I'll put Edward with glasses in this chapter… Yum! And yet again, sorry for the short chapters and long periods of time between my updates, I tried to make this one longer to compensate for the long wait.**

Monday came hurtling at me like a whirlwind. On Sunday, Alice came and gave me finishing touches to my wardrobe and appearance. She also gave me a pep talk on being strong, and staying stable. So, I went to sleep feeling confident and strong… or so I told myself.

Right now, I was pushing open the door to the office. My senses were on overdrive, and I felt lightheaded. _You can do this, You're strong, Bella_ Alice's voice kept chanting over and over again in my head. I opened my eyes that were previously shut tight, and I looked around. Predictably, yet still surprisingly, everything was the same as it had been the last time I came here. There was Kate, typing away into the desktop. There was the carpeted hallway with several doors on either side of the wall, leading to yet another hallway similar to itself. I carefully walked over to the front desk and stood before her.

"Hi Kate, I'm Bella, the new secretary-to-be?" My introduction came out as more of a question than a statement, and my smile more of a grimace than a grin. Kate seemed to understand, as she stood up as held out her hand,

"Yes, Carlisle told me about you. I'll be training you for the next week, before I go home and start taking care of this little thing." She smiled warmly, while using her free hand to pat her swollen stomach. I shook her hand, and immediately felt better. I probably wouldn't even see Edward. Even if I did, I'd be with Kate, and he wouldn't be able to approach me privately or talk too personally with me.

0oo0

"Everything okay, Bella?" Asked Kate as she put on her jacket and grabbed her purse. After a morning of training, she decided that I was ready to try out this secretary business for myself. We had just had just gone out for lunch together, and she was going to take the afternoon off and go shop for baby things with her husband. I was more than happy to step in for her; it was time she took a rest from work, and this also gave me an opportunity to try out my new position.

"I'll be fine, Kate. Have a great time!" I smiled at her.

"Thanks so much. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye" I said as I watched her walk out the door. I grinned to myself as I looked around me. The front desk was one similar to those in a library; it was curved so that it secluded me against the wall. It was complete with several drawers, and a little waist high door. I sat on a grey armchair, facing a computer with a keyboard in front and a pen holder beside it. Some files lay beside me, and I quickly got to work and started typing data into the computer.

I glanced at the digital clock at the corner of the screen; it showed 1:04 pm. I contently went back to work.

"Bella?"

I froze. I knew that voice… I _definitely_ knew that voice. I looked to see a crack in one of the doors in the hallway.

"Yes?" I answered with dread as I realized that no one else was around to save me.

"Could you come here for a moment?"

A long pause.

"Sure."

I trudged to the opened door, and stepped in. It was very neat and tidy; it was just like him to organize everything perfectly. I looked to see the person sitting behind the desk in the centre of the room. My eyes widened as I took in his appearance. He hadn't bothered to wear anything formal, so he was wearing his usual button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had unbuttoned the first few buttons, and his pale white skin matched beautifully with the dark blue shirt. A pair of glasses was perched on his perfect nose. This was a bad thing in the sense that his eyes weren't as beautiful with the lenses covering them, but at the same time, he looked so sinfully delicious, especially with his graceful brow slightly furrowed. I wanted him to fuck me senseless, right then and there, with those damn glasses on. Then I remembered that I was not his girlfriend anymore, and that I was supposed to stay strong, so I quickly attempted to put on my cold demeanor on again; I wasn't very successful.

"Come here please." He beckoned me towards the chair in front of the desk, as he took off the said glasses. I walked over as calmly as I could, not knowing what he was going to say. I sat down and stared at him. He took a deep breath, and continued,

"Bella, I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. My objective right now isn't to win you back, but rather to apologize." He looked me in the eye as he said this, and I could tell he was truly sorry from the sincerity in them. Maybe he felt guilty, but I wasn't going to show him how much he really affected me.

"There's nothing you need to apologize for, everything seems clear to me." I said with a chill in my voice. He heard it, and hurt crossed his eyes; maybe I was wrong about the honesty thing, he always was a good actor, and even though the pain looked real, I was sure he was just faking it.

"There's everything I need to apologize for, I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean for that to happen, I mean, we were great before it." I looked at him with incredulity; how could he talk like that when he knew nothing about the pain I felt, the torture I was going through? He made it sound like such a small thing: Oh, it didn't work out, so too bad. So he was probably telling the truth after all, seeing as it didn't affect him that much.

"Excuse me if this suggestion seems too much to ask for, but I'd rather that you don't talk about how beautiful our days were before you so rudely ruined them by cheating on me with that dirty little slut!" I covered my mouth then, knowing that I'd gone too far, being horribly rude while revealing far too much of my emotions. I hadn't expected the outburst to come out, and apparently neither did he, because he quickly switched from offensive to defensive position.

"Bella, you have to understand that I didn't have any part in the 'cheating'. Tanya was being almost forceful, and I was just about to stop her when you found us in the," he coughed, "compromising position." Now, I definitely knew he was acting. It was just like a man to try to blame it on the woman. How could he? What a lame excuse is that, I mean he could have thought up of something more creative than that, but no, I wasn't even worth a little bit of creativity. My anger was uncontrollable now; my emotions overruled my control.

"How could you blame it on her? I know what kind of a person you are, and I know how you act. I know that you only asked me out in the first place because I wasn't like the usual sluts that you dated. I don't need you to pity me and try to break it to me that you got bored of me. You know what? I don't even care what you think anymore. From this second on, I don't even want to talk to you apart from office work. I don't care what you say, I don't care what you do. You are not fucking going to make me forgive you, ever." There, I got it out. That wasn't so bad, was it? Wrong. I felt even worse now, I wanted to cry. I'd just humiliated myself in front of him, and he didn't even care.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, that I didn't see him come to me until he was centimeters apart from me. Then, as I looked up in surprise, he crashed his lips to mine, and I gasped as I felt the emotion and sheer force coming from behind the kiss. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, and I put all my pain and love into this kiss, expressing how much he'd hurt me. The passion was unbearable, and I clung on to him as my life preserver. His hands started moving from my waist to my hips, and I could feel the familiarity tingling inside me. I realized that I was running out of breath, but I didn't care. The hollow feeling inside my lungs was overpowered by the sense of completeness in my heart and body. Edward finally broke the kiss so we could breath, and I looked into his deep eyes and smiled.

Despite what I'd said earlier, this kiss _did_ make me forgive him and it _did_ win me back. The emotion behind it could not be faked, and it let me know that he loved me. I knew now that he loved me after all, and that he was willing to do anything to make up for his mistake. He smiled back at me, and our lips met for another kiss, this one filled with adoration and devotion. It deepened, and we moved over to his desk for support. I was lost in the way his lips molded against mine, and how his hands smoothed over my body.

"Ahem"

Reflexively, I quickly pulled away and smoothed down my skirt. There, in the doorway, stood the hulking figure that was Emmett, grinning like there was no tomorrow.

"Well damn, who would've known little Eddie could score that soon? Bella, when you said friends, I didn't know you meant sex buddies." I blushed, and hid my face in Edward's shoulder.

"Fuck off Emmett, don't you have work to do?" was Edward's menacing reply

"Oh, I do, but I needed Bella to give me the info on our new project. She wasn't at the front desk, and I heard a noise in here, so I came to check, and saw…" He trailed off, and I blushed harder, clearing my throat.

"Well then Emmett, which project?" I said, attempting to sound normal.

"Sorry Eddie, I'm going to have to steal her away from you for now, but you can continue ravishing her tonight." He said as he led me out the door. I flushed yet again, and knew that I was in for a heck load of teasing.

0oo0

I was staring off into space yet again, when I heard the telephone's shrill and annoying ring. I picked it up,

"Good afternoon, Cullen Corps. Headquarters," I said in a practiced voice,

"Hi, could I speak to Edward Cullen, please?" a smooth, feminine voice answered me.

"Sure, who should I say is on the line?" I asked, thinking of the business associates that often called Edward.

"His girlfriend, Tanya, please."

My world fell apart all over again.

I vaguely heard the phone crashing onto the desk.

Tears started forming in my eyes, and I picked up the phone again.

"Hold on a second please," I said with a quiver in my voice. I pushed the phone with a trembling hand to direct me to Edward's line.

"Bella, love, what is it?" His term of endearment hurt me even more. How could he say that when he probably used it with Tanya all the time?

"Phone for you on line one." I said in the best voice I could manage.

"Who is it from?"

I repeated the three words that shattered me,

"Your girlfriend, Tanya." Then, I grabbed my coat and made a run for it, but not before Edward came rushing out of his room.

"No, Bella, this isn't what you think it is. I'm telling you, I only love you. I couldn't love anyone else, please Bella." He pleaded.

I looked up at him,

"Don't even try, just don't."

And I left without a word.

**Come out, confess, who thought they were actually going to get together? Ha, fooled you there. I really got into this chapter, and I couldn't decide when to end it. I was going to end it before Tanya came in, just to see your surprise at simple solution, but I thought better of it. This chapter was really long, so don't I get rewarded with reviews? Pretty please? Also, I wanted to ask whether you'd prefer that after I finish this story, I do it from Edward's perspective, or a new story. This story is not even close to getting finished, so don't worry, but ever the early planner, I just wanted to ask. Again, thank you for reading! I've never had this much supporters and support before, keep it up!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue".**

**I'm really glad you all liked the last chapter. I didn't know how you would react to the first intense chapter of the story. This chapter won't have any Edward and Bella, it's more of an explanation chapter. I'm really sorry to those of you who expected bitchy Tanya, but as much as I'd like that, this story would be more suitable with a nice Tanya. And another bummer, this chapter is, unfortunately, short.**

I called in sick, and spent the next day moping. Alice had called me to ask what happened, but I just told her that I needed some time. It wasn't as bad as I expected; the pain was hardly anything compared to what I'd felt before. I guess that was because I'd already experienced it before. Right now, I was just numb, and in a way that scared me because I didn't seem very human. I could take that as long as I didn't feel the pain, though. I had to take the day off to be myself again. I wouldn't want to scare off everyone with all this emotionless shit.

The doorbell rang, and I contemplated whether I should get it. It was probably Alice, and though I didn't want to get it, she'd probably persist until I got the door. I opened the door without bothering to look at who it was. I couldn't care less at the moment if it was a random rapist waiting at the doorstep. But as I looked up, I saw that it was someone worst than a rapist… it was Tanya.

The first thing that crossed my mind was that she had gotten the wrong house, but then I realized how oddly coincidental that would be. So I just looked up at her, not knowing what to expect. She looked at me with a soft expression, "Can I come in, please?" she asked. I would have slapped her in the face and slammed the door shut, if curiosity hadn't overcome me. I opened the door wider, and allowed her in without a word. We settled on either side of the coffee table in my living room.

"First off, I'd just like to say that I'm terribly sorry about what happened, Alice just explained it to me." She said, and her repentant expression was real enough to fool me. I vaguely wondered if all people gorgeous could act well. I nodded for her to continue, but there wasn't enough warmth to show that I'd forgiven her. To me, she was still the slut that stole my boyfriend.

"Let me just explain what happened before you say anything. I know you feel horrible right now, I would too, but hopefully, after you hear what I have to say, you'll feel better."

I nodded again.

"It actually started when we were kids, now that I think about it. Growing up with the Cullens, I always felt attracted to Edward. I would hug him here, give him a little peck there, and feel jealous whenever he touched a girl that wasn't his sister. When we grew up, he started seeing girls, but he was never serious about his relationships. They were all for sex, and never for keeps. When he discovered my feelings for him, he acted towards me like he did to all the other girls. We had a one night stand, and he told me that he couldn't be in a relationship with me, at least not in the normal boyfriend-girlfriend way. I was a bit disappointed, but decided that it was fine. So we kind of had an on and off relationship as sex buddies. He saw other girls, and I wasn't exactly fine with it, but I didn't bug him too much about it. I slept with a guy or two here and there, and he didn't mind. I was content with what we had. I thought I would progress and work my way into his heart. Our meetings were random; if he had a bad day at work, he'd show up at my house. If I got horny at a club, we'd go out for a drive in his car. So one night I went to his house to hear him say that we couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't see why, considering the fact that he had never had a real relationship before. When he explained about you, I was jealous beyond belief. I should have been that girl; I had stood by him almost all his life. I didn't get over that rage, but I didn't do anything because I figured you were just another slut, another fling." She shot me an apologetic look for her earlier assumption,

"After awhile, I realized that he may have been more serious than I thought, so I went to his office to try to win him back. I truly mean it when I say that I didn't think of the pain I'd cause you. I thought you just disregarded him, and wouldn't care less who took him. So I basically threw myself at him-"

I cut her off at this,

"Tanya, I'm really grateful that you're trying to make me feel better, truly. I just don't want you to take the blame for my sake." Tanya really wasn't a bad person, and I realized that I'd treated her unfairly. I could see her side of the story, until the part where she took all the blame, that is.

"Bella, I'm not taking _all_ the blame, only the part that I actually did. I'm not saying that Edward didn't have any part in this. Personally, I think he should have tried harder to discourage me, and pursued you better. But I can assure you that he felt horrible, and blamed it all on himself. After he left for France, Alice and I went to visit him. He was living a dirty life, full of women and drinking, and he looked absolutely _horrible_. I thought that I could console him, really, my intentions were all innocent. But one thing led to another, and he came back drunk one day, and you can guess what happened. I began to realize that after sex, he was always more himself. I guess that was his way of releasing his pent up frustration and pain. So we continued what we had, and that was what happened until now. I was slightly exaggerating about being his girlfriend. As you can see, we are in somewhat of a twisted relationship. All I really wanted was for him to heal, and I never knew you'd come back. I'm beginning to see other guys now, and if you still want to save him, it'd be fine with me." Tanya finished with a smile, and I smiled back. She really wasn't bad at all, we could clearly become friends, but there was one thing that wasn't happening here.

"I'm sorry, I understand what you're saying, and I really appreciate the sympathy and everything you're willing to give up. To be honest with you, right now, I'm so confused and scared to be hurt again that I don't even care what happened anymore. I can't take him back, not now, not anymore. Before, my love was enough to keep the relationship going, and he didn't have to try to make us work. But up until now, he's never shown me, actually _shown_ or _done_ something that's proved his 'love'. I hope you understand what I'm saying, because I don't want it to seem like I'm just doing this to be cruel." I said, and I really meant it. He'd never done anything that really showed me he cared for me. He used to say it all the time, but looking back, his actions seemed the exact opposite.

"I get what you're saying, Bella, but I hope that soon you'll understand that he really cares for you." Tanya said with a somewhat sad expression. I nodded, and started to take out the chips from the cupboard.

Tanya ended up staying the entire day, and we snacked, watched movies, and talked. That night, as I closed the door behind her, I found that I'd gained yet another new friend.

**I'm so sorry for the time lapse! I realize that I have a lot to make up for, and that this chapter won't sate your hungry appetites. But if you read between the lines, you'll find that this means that Edward will have to do something to prove his love for Bella in later chapters… he's finally going to have to fight for her love (not next chapter though, sorry)! =D.**


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: Refer to "Prologue".**

**Okay everyone! I'm gonna start by apologizing, because that is greatly needed. I'm not going to bore you with what I was busy with, because let's be honest, no one really cares, so I'm just gonna say a big… SORRY! I'm really glad that some people are still reviewing, that's actually why I'm doing this chapter.**

The next day I decided that I was fine after all, and that I could go to work. I called in when I woke up, and arrived at the office an hour later. I got a bear hug from Emmett, and that immediately brightened my day. Jasper teased me some more, and Carlisle smiled fondly at me; it wasn't bad at all. Edward greeted me with tense eyes, and I smiled back at him with a cold demeanor. Thankfully, he didn't try to talk to me again, and the day got progressively better. Before I knew it, it was lunch break.

o0o0o

When I got back, there was a note on my desk. It read:

_Come to my office_

_Emmett_

I let out a relieved sigh, glad that it wasn't from the person I'd expected it to be from. I hung up my coat, and dropped my purse, making my way to Emmett's office. I didn't bother knocking, as I walked in. It was comical the way Emmett's huge form was sitting there seriously; it was so out of place. I laughed at the sight, earning myself a glare. He gestured for me to close the door, and I kicked the door shut before sitting down on the couch beside his chair. He moved to sit next to me, and stretched out.

"So Bells, what's with all the dramatic action between you and Eddie boy?" he asked. I gaped at him, speechless. I didn't know he would be so observant, especially in the romance department. He also didn't seem the type to gossip about these kinds of things, it was always Alice's department. I groaned as I realized what a horrible secret keeper I was.

"Oh, nothing really, just… stuff" I blushed.

"Come on. First, you faint when you see him, then I walk in on you and Eddie getting it on in his office, and then all of a sudden he's giving you the cold shoulder. What's happening?"

"W-well, um…" I stuttered, not wanting to tell him. Emmett obviously sensed my discomfort, and patted me on the back.

"Okay, I'm not going to push you, but you know that this conversation is not over." He looked at me, and I was suddenly reminded of Alice, even though they looked nothing like each other because they were adopted siblings. I burst out laughing, and Emmett immediately followed. Soon, we were laughing like maniacs on his office floor, rolling around and then on top of each other. When the laughter finally stopped, Emmett had collapsed on top of me, and was crushing me. I was suddenly struck with a thought that had me, once again, doubling over with laughter.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"H-how does- R-rose hold y-your weight d-during sex?" I asked as I howled with laughter. Emmett blinked several times before grinning at me,

"She doesn't, she's usually on top."

With that, I started laughing my stomach off, all the while blushing redder and redder.

"What's going on?"

Emmett looked up from his position on top of me, and I scramble up from below him to see Edward standing in the doorway, glaring at us. I quickly stood up and smoothed out my skirt and blouse. Emmett also lumbered up, and looked at Edward sheepishly,

"We were just discussing my sex life," He said, as I slapped and glared at him. Edward gave me a look as what I perceived to be disgust, and I turned a bright shade of red as humiliation caught onto me. I quickly ran out of the office, as Edward continued to give me that icy glare.

After that encounter, I did all that I could to avoid Edward, and endured the rest of the day.

o0o0o

As I got out of the office building, it was just my luck that Edward was also about to make his way to the parking lot. As he walked past me, he purposefully bumped my shoulder, so that I stumbled into the wall beside me. I had no idea what had gotten into him, but one thing was for sure, I didn't want to endure the walk to the parking lot with him, so I chose a detour around the back of the building. I guess I should have been scared of the close alleyway, but I figured it was only a short trek to the other side. It wasn't until I was at the middle, that I had this creeping sensation that I was being followed. All of a sudden, I heard a voice,

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

I turned around to see a man standing about three meters in front of me. I gulped,

"What do you want?" I asked, as I held out my purse, praying, without much hope, that it was what wanted.

"No," He said in a slimy voice as he walked closer to me, "not that, not money. Only you." It was then that my instincts kicked in, and I turned around to run; only to be grabbed from behind. As I opened my mouth to scream, the man slammed me into the brick wall.

"Now listen to me, sugar," he said, as he trapped my arms above me, and my legs between his, "I don't want much, just pleasure. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you an option. We can make this quick and simple, or slow and painful. Your choice." As I nodded my understanding, he spread my legs, and I screamed as loud as I could. He put his hand on my mouth, and slammed me several times into the wall behind me.

"I guess you've made your choice then. I prefer this way too," He grinned, as he started painfully grinding into me. I started sobbing, knowing there was no way out, I could feel the bruises beginning to form from where he'd slammed me into the wall. He put his hand to my throat, and started stroking my neck,

"So smooth," he said, "too bad it's going to be bruised by the end of this." And he drew his hand back to punch me. I cringed and waited for the impact, but it never came. Daring my eyes to open, I saw the most glorious sight of all. Edward's golden orbs, staring into my eyes. Sobbing, I lunged at him, and he scooped me up, all the while whispering comforting words into my ear. We stayed like that for a while, and I didn't even notice him moving until we arrived at his car. He opened his door, and clambered in, with me in his arms. He repeated my name over and over again, like a prayer.

"I'm so sorry Bella," He said as he buried his face in my hair, "so sorry. I could have lost you, and it was all my fault. I can't lose you Bella, I need you with me. I'm so sorry."

I looked up, and saw all the pain and love in his eyes, and kissed him with all my might. The kiss was sweet, yet passionate, warm, yet chilling, painful, yet comforting; it was everything we'd been through put together, and most importantly, there was love. So much love, that I knew that there was no reason to doubt him, that I was the only one he held feelings for. When we finally broke apart, I had the biggest grin plastered on my face.

"I've always loved you, Bella, I have never stopped, Tanya didn't mean anything. My heart beats for you, I live for you. I'd die if I didn't have you with me, the past year has been torture." He said, and I believed him fully, despite all the promises I'd made to myself. There were a thousand different things I wanted to say, but at that moment, there was only one thing appropriate;

"I love you." I stated, and our lips sealed yet again, for our sweet reunion.

**I really liked that chapter, though it was a bit hard writing it. I hope everyone else enjoyed it, as well. Review me on your opinion! Yes, that is the last thing; there are no more twists or angst in this… sorry. There will be about two chapters after this, one for what happens after, as the last part of the plot. That chapter may possibly hold a smut scene, depending on how good you guys are at reviewing. It will be a smut scene, but full of fluff. The other chapter will be a devilishly delicious one filled with a sinful lemon to reward you guys for your patience and loyalty. Judging on the feedback, I may do a third chapter for another smut, but that's for the future. Also, for anyone who's interested, I started a new story, Price of Glory, for anyone wanting more. I'll start writing the first chapter after I finish Office Love. That's all, except… REVIEW! Cuz you just might get rewarded.**

**Love you all!**

**P**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: Refer to Prologue**

**Okay, so first off, I need to say good news for me, bad news for you guys. During summer vacay, I'm going to China with my family for a summer trip, and it's going to take two months. I'm not updating on the trip, but I'm bringing my notebook, and hopefully I can write in that. I'm hoping to finish Office Love by then, so don't worry, but my new stories will have to wait.**

Life is hell. Excruciatingly agonizing torture.

Our company stock trend went down by 4.5% in the past week, very bad compared to the winning streak we'd had for the past month. Our partner corporation decided that it was time they took over _our_ project. Fucking Joe Treitan, their CEO kept hinting that Cullen Corps. should drop the project after we sponsored 50% of the costs. But those were just minor inconveniences.

The real problem was _her_. I couldn't get her out of my head. No matter what, I knew deep down that she was the only one I'd ever love. I fucking loved her, for fuck's sake! I felt like a desperate man… who was I kidding? I _was_ a desperate man. There was that one moment that I'd had her back in my arms, and that was heaven. I was the happiest man alive in that _one moment_. And then, Tanya had to come and ruin it. But no matter what, I couldn't blame Tanya… well, not completely anyway. It was my own fault in the first place that I'd decided to fuck Tanya, but _fuck_, that was the only way I could let out my pent up frustration. I had to admit, I was guilty of pretending that Tanya was a certain _someone_ during our romps, and I felt guilty afterwards for using her. But she didn't seem to mind, and I made the excuse that Tanya was better than one night stands. I knew I'd been a complete ass sometimes, but I couldn't help it; the frustration of my situation just got to me sometimes. I sighed and took off my glasses, rubbing my eyes. Fuck it, I knew I couldn't work, and I sighed. If I couldn't get office work done, I might as well get another task done. _Emmett_. That annoying pest of a brother kept bothering me to tell him what was going on (scarily reminding me of Alice), and I kept putting him off. But I knew it was my duty to tell him what happened, and I was also curious as to what he had to say. I got up, and approached the dreaded door of his office. I turned the door knob, and I froze.

Before me was a sight I'd never even _fathomed_ I'd see. Emmett and Bella were rolling around the floor, reminding me almost immediately of two people during intercourse. Jealousy boiled over my very being, even though I knew Emmett would never do that to Rose, and Bella would never do that to me… would she? After all, she was no longer mine. Anger coursed through me. Why did Emmett get to hold Bella when I worked my ass off to even get her to talk to me? Anger and jealousy were not a good mixture for me. They formulated a time bomb that ticked with each second, ready to blow. Then, Bella giggled, and I blew. "What's going on?" I asked. _Hmm_, I mused, _pretty good for a time bomb_. Then Emmett answered me, and I felt myself go off again.

"Discussing my sex life."

Bella rushing out was the only thing that stopped me from beating the fuck out of my so-called brother. Her scent wafted to my nose, and I resisted the strong urge to lean in and inhale. The door closed with a slam.

"What the fuck was that?" I demanded. Emmett went into defensive mode, putting his hands up, and slowly retreated towards his desk.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down Edward, you look like you're about to punch the crap out of the next person you see, which would be me." He said, nervously eyeing his table as if that was his sanctuary.

"I wouldn't put it pass myself." I said, with a deadly spin to my voice. Suddenly, Emmett started to lean forward.

"What's it to you, anyways?" He asked. "It's not like you care, I thought that there was nothing going on between the two of you?"

I gritted my teeth, "I said, _don't push it_!" I yelled, my muscles coiling, and ready to attack. Emmett stood, equally prepared, but I knew that even though he had the bigger build, my anger would rig the fight to me. I turned to leave before things got out of hand.

"What?" he challenged, "Are you not man enough?"

I snapped. My hand pulled back and landed on his face with a resounding _SMACK_! Then, I turned and to leave, knowing that I was a bastard, but that was the only thing I could do to keep from hurting him even more. I quickly gathered my things and ran out of the office. I felt guilty and ashamed at myself. I contemplated going back and apologizing, but knowing Emmett, he would probably start pushing my limits again. I hurried out the door, and into the street, and I caught sight of Bella. Immediately, a soothing peace passed through me, but then the anger returned full force. I wanted to bend her over right here, right now in front of all these people, and claim her. Show to the world that she was _mine_. I looked down, and saw a bulge visible in my pants. Lust coursed through me at the thought of her tight, warm pussy. I clenched my teeth in frustration. All the different emotions made me feel like a fucking girl during her fucking PMS.

As I passed her, I bumped her shoulder, and her clumsiness caused her to stumble. I did nothing to help her, and I knew I was a fucker for doing that, but I didn't care anymore. That could be added to my list of fuck-ups. I saw her disappear down the alleyway, and I suddenly felt sad. Was I that bad that she couldn't bear to be with me for even the short amount of time needed to walk to the parking lot? I knew the answer myself. _Yes_, I thought bitterly. This was my punishment for being the asshole that I was.

Suddenly, I heard a muffled scream coming from the alleyway behind the office building. I started to unlock my car, but I had a creeping feeling, I disregarded it. As I opened my car door, it clicked. Bella was in the alleyway. It was Bella! I knew the scream was familiar. I slammed my door shut, and started running. My new Volvo could be stolen, no problem, but Bella was priceless. She was my angel, my everything. _Mine_.

_Bella_.

_Bella_.

Bella.

And there she was, in the alleyway, with a greasy motherfucker on top of her. He raised his hand, and I intercepted. Nobody, and I mean _nobody_, touched my Bella like that. I slammed him against the opposite wall, and smashed his head backwards. He slumped down, unconscious. I'd deal with him later. I looked down at Bella. She was cringing, waiting for a blow that was never to come. Instead, I cradled her fragile form into my arms, and looked into her deep, brown eyes. She started sobbing, and I teared up too, thinking about how close I'd been to losing her. I whispered her name over and over again, all the while making my way to the parking lot. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my cellphone.

"Emmett? I'm sorry, but Bella's hurt. Go to the alleyway beside the office building first, and then come to the parking lot; we'll be in my car."

Emmett hung up wordlessly in his panic. I continued muttering reassuring words in Bella's ear. Opening the car door, I stepped inside, and pulled Bella against me.

"I'm so sorry Bella," I said as I inhaled her sweet scent, "so sorry. I could have lost you, and it would have been all my fault. I can't lose you Bella, I need you with me. I'm so sorry." I said, expressing how I really felt. I leaned in slowly, so I wouldn't scare her, and we met for the best kiss I'd ever had. I was set on making her understand my love and devotion, and I felt her kiss mirroring my emotions. We pulled apart for air, which I felt was hardly necessary, she was what I needed, not air. But whatever she needed, I'd give to her. Anything.

"I've always loved you, Bella, never have I stopped, Tanya didn't mean anything. My heart beats for you, I live for you. I'd die if I didn't have you with me, the past year has been torture." I said. She meant the world to me.

"I love you." She smiled at me, and I was walking on clouds. We leaned in for another kiss. When we broke apart the second time, her eyelids were already drooping.

"Sleep," I murmured, "You've been through so much today, you need the rest." With that, she collapsed on top of me.

Soon after, Emmett wrenched open the car door. He climbed in beside me, with a swollen eye that was starting to get black. I immediately felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry, man-" I started, but he held his hand up to stop me.

"It's okay, I pushed you, it's not your fault. How's Bella?" He asked, concern in his eyes.

"Fine, now." I answered. "Did you deal with the problem?" I asked, referring to that son of a bitch. Emmett nodded,

"It took all my willpower not to strangle him, but I called the police and told them there had been an assault. If they need anything, they have my number."

Neither of us knew how severely Bella was hurt, but neither of us were willing to risk it. So in no time, Emmett was speeding down the highway like a madman, probably creating a few car crashes in the process.

We arrived at the nearest hospital and asked for Ben. Before my father went into business, he was working to get a medical degree. Ben was my father's university roommate, and the only doctor we really trusted. Bella was rushed into a room. While she was getting a full scale check-up, we phoned my family. Within the next three minutes, my dad and mom came in, sprinting to Bella's room. Two minutes later, Alice came in with Tanya in tow, which was a surprise to me. But I swear, my family all drove like maniacs when it came to emergencies.

o0o0o

No matter how much I pleaded Ben, he wouldn't let me in while Bella was being examined. Alice and Rose, who arrived with Jasper several minutes after, went in the room, but Tanya stayed outside with us guys, not wanting to intrude on Bella's privacy. After I gave an extremely detailed account of what I perceived happened to Bella, Emmett started to describe how I gave him the shiner to Jasper. Attempting to ignore his exaggerations, I went to sit beside Tanya, who appeared to be deep in thought. This proved to be a bad move, as an awkward silence descended between us. I didn't know how Tanya had felt about all this. Despite everything, she was still the same girl that I spent my summer days at the villa with, and the same woman that had helped me through my worst days. Finally, she broke the silence,

"Did you get back together with Bella?" she asked. I was surprised at the question, and hesitated.

"You idiot!" she cried, "That was the perfect chance to win her back, and you didn't take it!"

I was even more blown away by this. "I-I did." I mumbled, and she started to relax.

"Good," she said, "I didn't know if you'd be that dense."

"Aren't you mad?" I was curious; if she was upset, she didn't show it.

"Should I be?"

I let that sink in. "But I used you." I said, I might as well get her wrath over with, but it never came.

"It was time I helped you right what I made wrong." She said with a small smile. "You know," she said, "I went to see Bella at her home the day after the afternoon I called for you."

I blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, I tried to apologize, but she wouldn't hear it. Said it wasn't my fault."

I didn't say anything, so she continued, "As much as I wanted for her to be a complete bitch, it wasn't true. She was so nice. I really think you two deserve each other."

I recovered from my shock and registered what she was saying.

"Thank you Tanya, this means a lot to me. I know you gave up a lot doing this, and I really appreciate it." I meant every word I said.

"I'm not only doing this for you, Edward. It's for Bella as well. She looked like hell the time I went to see her, and as a friend, it's my duty to make her happy again." She smiled a pensive grin. "Anyhow, I'd better get going. I need to go home and start on dinner." She stood up, and I walked her out. As she was about to leave, I held out my arms and hugged her. It was totally innocent, for the gratitude I felt. She leaned into me and then pulled away.

As she started to walk away, she turned around. "Oh yeah, and Edward?"

I looked up.

"When I was talking to Bella, she said that in your previous relationship, you'd never done anything to really _show_ her your affection."

I thought about it for a second, "I'll be sure to do just that."

"You'd better." Was her reply.

Chuckling, I walked back in. Tanya, or rather, Bella was completely right. I hadn't done anything to show Bella my love. I'd been too selfish to think about her, and I started planning what I could do to correct that mistake.

o0o0o

"Edward? Edward?" I saw Bella's eyes flutter open. She began groping wildly around her, searching for me.

"Shhh." I said, going to her hospital bed to hold her, "You're alright, love."

She leaned into me and smiled.

"Bella," I started, "I know you're tired and exhausted, but I was wondering…" I trailed off and cleared my throat, suddenly nervous. "I was wondering if you would go on a date with me." She beamed at me and grinned. "Of course, I would love to, just as I love you."

She leaned in to kiss me, and I complied, all too willingly, and my heart was content again.

**Surprise! Yes, you lucky readers, it was EPOV. How's that for length? Now if only the rest of the chapters were also that long *sigh*. I'm sorry, but the rest of the chapters will probably return to my normal length, but I'll try my best. It's just, Edward's more detailed than Bella. So I might do one of the smut scenes in his POV, though Bella also tends to be more detailed when it comes to smut. So beware, sexiness is coming *wink*. I love you all, so please, shouldn't I get rewarded for giving you guys a long chapter?**


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: Refer to 'Prologue'.

**First off, I'd like to inform everyone (again) that I will, in fact, be leaving for vacation to China (I'm so excited, this will be my first time in Asia!) on July 6th. We're staying for about two months, until the later weeks of August. That will mean NO UPDATING! So all other stories will have to wait until the end of summer.**

It turned out my 'huge injury' was a minor concussion. Nothing big, at least not compared to some of the other ones I've had. First, there was the time I fell off the motorbike while riding with Jake. And then the time when I slipped on a banana peel (how classic) and managed to break my wrist. Oh, and the time… you get the point. The thing is, it was no biggie, I was probably more emotionally abused than I was physically. I was just really shocked that something like that would happen to me, the police chief's daughter. It seemed like one of those things you read in the newspaper and then forgot about. This really made me open my eyes to danger. Thankfully, Edward saved me in time. I could only shudder at what would have happened if… never mind. The most important thing was that Edward was there, and that we were BACK TOGETHER! I loved him with all my life, and I couldn't help but be happy. I don't think I'd ever been happier than when he asked me to go out with him again.

So here I am, sitting in a big armchair positioned in the bathroom of my flat, pretending to read the Cosmo magazine in my hand, but actually pathetically thinking about my love life. Alice was bouncing around, giving me tips on how to give off a good vibe, as if this was my first date with Edward. Yep, life was definitely blissful and perfect.

"So, have you decided whether or not you're going to have sex after?" Alice's blunt question pulled me out of my pensive state. To be honest, I didn't know if we were ready for a physical relationship yet, and I was confused as to what our relationship was. It could be counted as a first date, in which case I would never have sex, but it could also be a reunion, in which case sex would be okay.

"I dunno," I answered truthfully, "I'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, if you do, I experimented this really useful move with Jasper, and you-"

I stopped her there, "Alice, I love you, but I really don't want to know what you did with Jasper in the bedroom, and knowing you two, I know you wouldn't like to think about me and your brother doing whatever you were doing."

Alice made a face, "Gross. Here I am, trying to be helpful, and also trying to ignore the fact that you're probably going to be going at it with my brother tonight, but you just keep reminding me. And plus, what we did wasn't in the bedroom, it was in the shower." She smirked at the blush that came onto my face. "All done, now if you will just put on that dress I picked out."

I looked: it was a nice, simple midnight blue dress that ended at my knees and looked as if it would just flow over my body, showing the right curves. The top half of it was form fitting, then at the waist, it let loose, so that my legs could breathe. I loved it. Taking it from Alice, I started stripping to my underwear.

"Thanks Alice, I really appreciate this." I smiled. It looked as though she was going to say something heartfelt, but she gasped in horror instead.

"What?" I panicked, "Is something wrong? Are there still bruises showing?" I asked worriedly. Alice shook her head, but I knew something was seriously wrong. It was the kind of headshake that meant _No, it's something __**much**__ worse_.

"Bella, I can't believe it! You're going out tonight and you're wearing _grandma undergarments_." She complained. I let out a huge sigh of relief. Typical Alice, putting fashion in front of everything. Then, I looked down, offended,

"Hey, what's wrong with this? I wear this everyday. And plus, they're not 'grandma undergarments', they're normal cotton underwear."

Alice sighed, as if I were mentally retarded, "Yes, I know I have yet to update your lingerie drawer, but I haven't had the time, and I thought it would be clear that if you're going to get fucked, you don't go wearing _that_." She pointed at me in disgust. I rolled my eyes.

"Alice, I told you, I don't even know if it's going to happen. Most likely not."

"But I just _know_ you're going to do it." She tapped the side of her head with a mystic smile, "I can foretell the future."

I stared at her, and blinked.

"So," she said, "I, being the psychic that I am, predicted that you would be wearing something dingy, like that." She gestured to me, and then pulled something out of a rather small bag of the many she'd brought with her.

"So being the perfect friend that I am, I went to Victoria Secret, and bought this!"

I felt my jaw drop from shock. There, in her hand, was a midnight blue lingerie set to match my dress. The bra was half cup and lacey, and the panties were thongs that were barely there, so there would be no panty lines visible through my dress. Alice smiled at me reassuringly, and tossed the clothes onto the bed.

"You'll figure out how to wear it eventually. I know it's not often that you wear something as sexy as this, but the bra clasps at the back and the thong is worn the same way as you would wear your normal underwear." She said slowly, as if I needed the explaining. "Also, get used to it, because while you're out on your date, I'm going shopping for better underwear." She smirked, and marched out, triumphantly closing the door before I could figure out that she'd just made fun of me.

Slipping on the bra, I convinced myself that it wasn't _that_ bad. The smooth material felt nice against my skin. Next came the thong, and that made me have a small panic attack. It hardly covered half my ass, and from the front, it showed more of my crotch than any of my previous panties had. I sighed, and quickly slipped on my dress to avoid any self-consciousness, which I was sure to get if I stared at my scantily clad body anymore. As I gave myself a once over, I tugged at the bottom of the skirt, and smiled a victory smile; I looked pretty good. Walking out, Alice did a slight touch-up to my makeup, and then nodded her approval. I smiled, and walked to the front door to slip my feet in the peep-toes that Alice had set out for me. Just as I straightened up and grabbed my purse, the doorbell rang, and my heart suddenly broke out into a fast rhythm, beating a hundred times per second. I looked back, and Alice gave me a light hug to show her support without messing up my dress or hair.

"It'll be perfect." She whispered, and then pushed for me to answer the door. Taking a deep breath, I reached out, turned the doorknob, and pulled.

My breathing stopped, and I'm pretty sure my heart did too. There stood my personal Adonis, dressed in a white dress shirt, and black jacket and pants. In his hand was a single red rose. He smiled, and my knees buckled. Walking up to me, he pulled me towards him, and whispered in my ear, "Breathe, Bella."

As I felt his cool breath wash over me and his husky voice by my ear, I knew that Alice was right, and I was going to end up ravishing him tonight. As he handed me the rose, Alice pushed me aside, and pointed a threatening finger at him.

"Bella doesn't have an older brother, so I'm going to play the part instead." She glared at him, "I know I'm your sister, but that doesn't mean that I'll hesitate to beat the shit out of you if you hurt her again. Obviously nobody was here to get the message across last time, and I'm going to be lenient and let you off the hook for your past offense, but if you ever make her cry again, I _will_ hurt you. I don't care if you're my brother, I don't care if you partially own one of the most successful companies in North America, and I wouldn't care if you were the fucking president. If you so much as make Bella shed one more tear, I will tear you apart, and then call Emmett here. And I'm sure he'd be more than happy to return the shiner you gave him along with some other souvenirs." She finished with a menacing hiss.

I'm not sure what I expected, maybe a little awkwardness, or a hug or two, but definitely not this. Then again, that was probably my own fault; I should have known Alice would act like this. I was expecting Edward to be offended, or at least shaken, but again, I was surprised; after all, I'd never seen Edward and Alice together before.

Edward chuckled, and smirked, "I promise the only tears she'll ever shed will be tears of joy." He ruffled Alice's inky hair and she huffed,

"Are you laughing at me? You're laughing at me. Well, you better take me seriously, because when the time comes, I'll bring in Mom, and we both know she'll be worse than Emmett, Jazz, Rosalie, Carlisle, and me… _combined_." She glared at him, and he nodded,

"Don't worry, if the situation is so bad, that she has to be called, I'll probably already be drowning too deep in my sorrow to feel anything."

I frowned, it was hard thinking of Esme- sweet, kind Esme- being violent, but from the way they were talking, it seemed like they knew what Esme was capable of from experience. I figured I didn't ever want to find out.

Alice smiled, "Now, with that out of the way, congratulations." Her face softened, and she leaned in to give him a hug. I smiled at their companionship.

"I'm not going to keep you two from your date any longer, so if you'll excuse me, I have places to be." She brushed pass us, and danced to her Porsche. As she pulled out of my driveway, she rolled down the window and shouted, "Use protection!" Before speeding into the night.

I felt my face grow hot, and Edward's eyes grew a shade darker. He traced my cheeks, cooling them.

"Beautiful." He muttered, and leaned in. I angled my face towards his, and our lips met for a slow and passionate kiss. His right hand wound around my waist, pulling me as close to him as possible. His left hand wandered a path from my chin, past my neck, to my collarbone, which he brushed. Then, his hand slowly went downwards, and caressed my breast sensually. I groaned, and pulled back,

"If we're going to actually go on the date, I suggest you stop trying to seduce me."

Edward led me to his car, his hand on the small of my back,

"If anyone's seducing, it's you. But I do have just a small amount of self-control left, and we'll go through with dinner as planned." He had started his sleek silver Volvo by now. "So without further adieu, let's get going."

o0o0o

I tore my gaze away from Edward's face when the smooth purr of the car came to a stop. Glancing up, I saw that he'd brought me to a small but classy restaurant that looked cozy, yet formal. Edward got out of the car and opened my door for me before I could make another move. He held his hand out to me and helped me out of the car. We walked into the restaurant, and the waiter led us to a small, concealed corner, handing us the menus. I ordered the spaghetti, and he chose the filet. It didn't take long for the dishes to arrive, and we chatted over dinner, just like old times, but better. To say that I was pleased would be an understatement. It was fantastic that we could still be like this after all the drama that had occurred.

I sighed contentedly over my dessert, and look over at Edward. He was looking at me intently, as if studying me. As his gaze darkened, I blushed and things suddenly got one notch hotter.

"You ready to go?" He asked. I nodded, and he paid the bill. We left the restaurant rather quickly, and once we reached the private vicinity of his car, his hands were on me. As he explored my body, our lips met, and our tongues began a sensual dance. I felt myself getting wetter yet, and when we finally pulled apart, Edward started the car and raced home, caressing parts of me with his free hand.

When he finally stopped, I was fidgeting in my seat, and completely flushed and bothered. In front of me was a two-story house, considerably large for a bachelor. We quickly exited the car, and as soon as he closed the door behind him, our lips met. He led me upstairs to what I assumed was his bedroom, our lips connected all the while. We finally broke apart once in his bedroom.

"Turn around." He commanded in that husky voice of his that practically dripped sex. I quickly turned around, and felt his lips attack my neck. He gently moved my hair over my shoulder, and trailed kisses from my hairline to the base of my neck, where he suddenly sucked hard, making me emit a squeal. He chuckled, and continued to trail his mouth down to the zipper of my dress. Pulling it down with his teeth, his hands went to the straps, and slipped them down. The dress pooled at my feet, and I stepped out of them, turning around.

Edward's eyes were pitch black now, and he licked his lips hungrily. I was suddenly extremely thankful that Alice had decided to put me in some decent, or rather indecent, lingerie. I returned his hungry gaze, and pulled him down to me by the collar of his shirt. One hand tangled in his sexily unruly hair, while the other slipped off his jacket and unbuttoned his dress shirt.

I stepped back to examine him when his top half was completely naked. His chiseled, broad chest, and the muscles rippling on his arms and abdomen. Then that delicious bronze trail of hair that disappeared under his pants. I reached forward, and unbuckled his belt, pulling down his pants, leaving him in black silk boxers. I could see the bulge in them, and I smirked.

Getting down on my knees, I pressed my lips on the cloth that covered his erection. He groaned, and grasped my hair. I slipped off his boxers, and his erection sprang up proudly. Giggling, I licked the tip, while cupping his balls. He breathed out my name. Without warning, I started deep throating him, and he gasped, "Fuuuck, that feels good, don't stop." I hummed, and he twitched in my mouth. He growled, a delicious sound reverberating from deep within his chest, and pulled me to my feet. Throwing me onto the spacious bed, he prowled on top of me, and reached behind me to undo the clasps to my bra. Licking the outline of the top of my bra, he purred, and slipped it off completely. He grinned mischievously before lowering his head onto my nipple, while he massaged my breasts with his hands. He then trailed them downwards, and quickly removed my panties, leaving me naked beneath his equally bare body. I moaned as his hand brushed my sex, and let out a breathy, "Edward." His eyes snapped up to my hooded ones, and suddenly, he thrust into me, his mouth pulling me into a kiss. I cried out, and clung onto him, wrapping my legs around his waist, feeling him stretch me with his impressive length.

"You're so tight, Bella. It's like the first time all over again. What do you think, Bella? Does this feel good?" He rasped. I nodded, lost in the pleasure. "It's been too long." He said, "Were you thinking about me like I was thinking about you? Did you wait for me like a good girl?" I nodded, and moaned his name. He bent his head down, and sucked my nipple. I screamed, my pleasure intensifying as he thrust into me hard and deep. I was so close, teetering at the edge. I clenched my eyes shut, and moaned.

"Open your eyes, Bella." Edward ordered as he nipped my neck. I managed to open my eyes to stare into his topaz ones, swirling with emotion. "When you come, I want you to scream my name for the world to hear. Can you do that for me, Bella?" He asked.

"Yes." I groaned, as the pressure climbed higher, and higher.

Suddenly, I fell over the edge, and screamed Edwards name as loud as I could. Clenching around him tightly as he released into me, chanting my name over and over again. He continued thrusting into me until we rode out our orgasm, and then he collapsed on top of me. Rolling to his side, he pulled my limp form flush against him. I curled into him as he pulled the covers over us. I looked up, and saw his eyes fixed upon me. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on my shoulder,

"I love you Bella, with all my heart."

I smiled blissfully, and pecked him on the chest,

"I love you too, Edward."

I sighed, and soon fell into deep, happy slumber.

**So, that was the LONGEST chapter yet! Reviews have to be in order. Come on, twenty isn't hard. I'm not asking for a lot. Anyhow, I've decided that this will be the only smut in the whole story. Now, before you take out your chainsaws, I'm also going to announce that I will be posting a few one shots coinciding with Office Love. But those might be posted AFTER I come back from vacation.**

**Don't worry, lovelies, I will most likely finish this story before I go. I wouldn't be so cruel as to leave you on the brink of the ending for two months. That is, if you review. The plan for this story is two more chapters. One is the morning after, and the other, the epilogue.** **That being said, this is my FIRST LEMON! Was it good? Tell me what you think! So review, review, review!**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: Refer to 'Prologue'.**

**Hopefully, I can get out the Epilogue by the end of today, because my Internet's not been working for a long time, so since we're going on a trip anyhow, we cut off our Internet for the months of July and August, which means today is my last day of Internet.**

EPOV

I woke up to the morning light with the most beautiful woman beside me. I half expected all this to be a dream, but I reached out, and felt her warm body beneath my fingers. I smiled and pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arm protectively against her waist. I nuzzled her neck, and breathed in her scent. _Mmmhh_. Freesias and strawberries. Bella truly was my love and life, she had my heart and soul. I thought back to a few weeks ago, to that day in the alley. I shuddered, and snuggled against her as the possibilities of what could have happened hit me. I really owed Emmett big on that one. I chuckled, he didn't even know what was happening at the time, and he still didn't know that I was with Bella.

Emmett had left on a business trip to Japan almost immediately after the alley fiasco. I didn't want to tell him news as big as this over the phone, it would be too hard to explain everything from the beginning. He would probably be back in a day or two, so the wait wasn't long.

I was brought out of my thoughts from a loud crash on the door. It opened, and creaked from the excessive weight put on it.

"Eddie!" Emmett shouted, barging in.

I instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around Bella, and glared at Emmett. Think of the devil, and the devil shall come.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He put a hand on his heart with a faked wounded expression. "I'm back from such a long trip and you greet me so heartlessly?" It was only then that he noticed Bella. His eyes widened as he zeroed in on her.

He cheered, "Whoo! Eddie's finally got some that's not Tanya!" He took a moment to study her more thoroughly, appreciation in his eyes.

"Damn, she is fine."

I growled, and arranged the blanket so that it covered almost all of her. It was obvious that her identity was not yet known to him. I smirked,

"I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if you knew who she was."

He frowned at me, confused as to what I was saying.

"She's not Kayla Miller, that bitch is out of the question. Not a slut, they don't make them like that." He mumbled more to himself than to me.

I was getting more and more irritated by the minute. "I thought you were in love with Rose?" I snapped. He looked at me,

"Duh. Why else do you think I'm at your place? Rose is next door. Your place was closer to the airport than ours."

I grimaced,

"And you couldn't wait until you got to your house?"

"Nope." He popped the 'p' annoyingly. Just then, Bella began to stir.

"Good morning, beautiful," I smiled down at her. She groaned, and lifted her head to kiss me. This caused the blanket to fall down so that her back and half of her ass was exposed to my perverted excuse of a brother. Said brother catcalled.

Bella whirled around in astonishment, "Wha-?" She didn't get to finish her sentence, as she fell out of bed, onto the floor… naked… under the scrutiny of Emmett.

She screamed, "Emmett?"

I looked at her in all her naked glory, and felt myself get hard again. That was before I remembered the situation, and I quickly pulled her up on the bed before tucking the blanket over both of us.

BPOV

"Bella?" Emmett looked disbelievingly at me. "What are you doing in Edward's bed? Ew! I just… what?" For once, he seemed to be at a loss of words. He took a moment to compose himself, and when a mischievous grin lit his face, I knew I was in for hell.

"Hey Bella," He smirked. "Nice tits." I felt a tremor and heard a sexy rumble deep from within Edward's firm chest. My eyes widened, and it was time for me to splutter,

"Emmett! What's your problem? What were you thinking? You know what, I don't even- Why the hell are you- What happened to Rose?" I finished, glaring at him. Then, just as I thought my day couldn't get any worse, Rose came in, clad in only a t-shirt, smirking at me.

"You rang?"

I groaned, "Why are you even here anyway?"

"Well, I went to pick up Emmett from the airport, and I guess things got carried away. We decided to bless Edward with our presence for the night. I figured that the house probably needed some action, because Edward never got any. But, I guess I was wrong." She looked at me and gave me a warm smile, serious again, "I'm glad you're back together."

Edward, who was exceptionally quiet for the whole time, finally spoke,

"Is that _my_ shirt?"

Rose smiled cheekily at him, "Maybe it is, honey. Want to do something about it?"

Emmett pouted, "But Rosie, I don't want to see you in anything but _my_ clothes." He thought about it for awhile, "Nevermind, I want to see you without _anything_."

I banged my head on the headboard, and just as I started thinking _again_ that the day couldn't get any worse, I heard a huge bang from downstairs. A loud, tinkling voice traveled up to me,

"Bella, if you're not up there, so god help me I will beat some sense into you if you're not already beaten up in some dark alleyway. Because then, not only would you not get laid after the perfect opportunity, you would probably be chained to some poorly lit basement right now, getting gang raped." Alice poked her head in, and smiled. "Good, you're here. So you got fucked after all." I was going to think for the _third_ time today that things weren't going to get any worse than having your basically big brother see you naked and compliment your tits, his girlfriend walk in and flirt with your boyfriend, and your best friend, who is also said boyfriend's little sister come and talk about you getting gang raped. But then, from experience, I figured the day would probably get worse if I thought that, so I didn't think it. And even though I didn't think it, the day got worse anyways.

Jasper came strolling in and drawled,

"What's a party without me?"

I think my eye twitched, but maybe it was only my imagination.

"Who said we were having a party anyways?"

Jasper smirked his stupid smirk, and said in his stupid southern accent, while cocking his stupid head,

"Well, it's not everyday we get to see you naked."

I exploded then.

"What's up with all you stupid people about your stupid obsession with my nudity? And for what stupid reason are you stupid people here anyway?"

Alice pouted the famous Cullen pout that I'd seen so many times before on so many people,

"But Bella, remember that last time I let you go out by yourself?"

I grumbled, but she had a point.

"What time?" Edward frowned at me. I tried to explain to Edward how I ended up on a random guy's bed without having sex with him.

"So let me get this straight. You ended up on a stranger's bed who you claim you didn't have sex with while I was mourning my loss?"

I frowned, and started apologizing.

"Will anyone tell me what's going on?" Emmett shouted, who was still oblivious to our history. Alice proceeded in explaining.

o0o0o

After everything was explained, and everyone finished their Make-Bella-Blush contest, everyone filed away to their respective homes, or so I hoped, to leave Edward and I alone. And I was very much aware that we were still both naked, and on a bed.

"Bella," Edward's eyes were dark again, "You belong to me." He kissed my lips, hard. Trailing open-mouthed kisses along my neck and collarbone, he left occasional hickies here and there.

"You are mine, which means that the only bed you'll be in from now on is _mine_. And the only person you'll look at is _me_. And certainly, the only name you'll scream is _Edward_." I groaned and kissed him again.

"Say it, Bella, say that you're mine."

I looked him in the eyes,

"I'm yours, Edward, I belong to you, forever and always."

"And I to you."

**So there's a funny chapter for you. And if you'd like a bit more of dominant Edward, I'll post up a one shot when I come back from the trip. Also, just because I won't see your reviews tomorrow, doesn't mean I won't appreciate them for a coming back gift.**


	11. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Refer to 'Prologue'.**

**So this is it. The end. I'm so proud of myself, this is my first completed fic. Just in time, too. I love all of my readers and reviewers so much. I LOVE YOU ALL!**

I listened to Alice's bell-like voice make the introduction speech as I adjusted my midnight blue evening gown. I was currently attending the celebratory party for my newest book, Office Love. In the end, it turned out to be a slightly altered version of my story with Edward. I really was blessed to have such a happy ending. Edward stayed with me through everything. On his business trips, he would bring me along, and when I first revealed my identity to the press, he was there comforting me from the publicity I so hated, and warding off the press. It was Alice's idea for me to come out to the public. Apparently it was "better for book promotions" and "a truly good match: a rich, famous author, and her rich, famous boyfriend. And the rich, famous boyfriend's rich, famous family" she convinced me that it was the perfect "rich, famous scenario!" But I had my suspicions that this was all just a scheme to play more Bella Barbie. She also made me sign, actually _sign_, a contract to endorse her fashion line free of charges, because, despite my reassurances, she wanted to make sure I'd "still remember her after I became a spoiled bimbo".

I was brought back to reality as Alice's speech was coming to a conclusion, "…Now, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for my best friend, known as Elizabeth Masen in the world of literature and to all else, Isabella Swan!"

I pasted a smile on my face, and went into the spotlights. The unnerving lights shone down on me, as I stood on the podium, faintly aware of Edward's presence behind me. The crowd's roar was thunderous, and I started my speech that mostly consisted of Alice and Rose's writings. It didn't take me long to finish. It was all a blur, all I could remember was my pounding heart and the nervousness in my stomach. When I finished, the audience started clapping, and Edward came beside me to take my place. Leaning down beside me, he whispered,

"Stay with me, love."

I smiled at him and stood at his side. When the crowd quieted down, he prepared to speak. But, instead of turning to the front like I expected, he turned to me, within hearing range of the microphone. He dropped down on one knee, and began,

"Isabella Marie Swan. You are my love, life, and soul. You are what makes me complete; without you, I am nothing. You have already made me the happiest man on this planet, but I ask you to make me the happiest being in the universe by saying yes to my question. I love you, Bella, will you marry me?"

I looked at his loving eyes and doting smile, and nodded,

"Yes, I will." I didn't realize I was crying until I heard my voice cracking. His face was one of pure joy and triumph. He placed a ring on my finger and stood up again as our lips met for a kiss. The audience 'oohed' and 'aahed', and the press cameras clicked away, but the only thing I noticed was Edward. We were in our own, perfect world.

"I love you, Edward." I choked out. And he smiled again,

"I love you more, Bella."

**Review! I love you! Miss you! See you soon!**


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